TORONTO -- After a wave of top prospects graduated to form the Blue Jays’ young core, followed by one of baseball’s most aggressive offseasons this winter, you’d expect Toronto’s farm system to finally be running thin.

Think again.

Four Blue Jays rank among MLB Pipeline’s new Top 100 Prospects, led by hard-throwing right-hander Nate Pearson at No. 10 overall. The pipeline Toronto has built is producing sustainable waves of talent now, and while that potentially gives the club some highly valuable trade chips down the line, each of these prospects has a clear path to impacting the Major League roster in the near future.

Pearson is joined on the Top 100 list by Austin Martin at No. 22, Jordan Groshans at No. 46 and Simeon Woods Richardson at No. 87.

Patience has allowed the Blue Jays to keep this group of prospects together through the rebuild, as the major additions have come via free agency and they haven’t tried to dramatically accelerate their timeline via trades. This was part of the plan, in a way, and it falls in line with general manager Ross Atkins’ background in baseball.

“[Club president Mark Shapiro] and I grew up in player development and believe in it wholeheartedly, so there may be some predispositions and biases to hold on to those players,” Atkins said, “but it comes from believing in player development, believing in players getting better, and wanting our players to grow up as Blue Jays and then play for this city and country. We do place an intense value on that, so that could be factoring in.”

In Pearson, the Blue Jays have a potential future ace who debuted in 2020 with mixed results after being the main attraction in Spring Training. The right-hander posted a 6.00 ERA over just 18 innings, but the 24-year-old needed a stint on the injured list for elbow tightness before dominating in his lone postseason appearance. Against the Rays in the American League Wild Card Series, Pearson struck out five over two perfect innings -- a fine springboard into his first big league offseason after some lessons learned as a rookie.

Simply put, if a front office could design a starting pitcher from scratch, that pitcher would look a lot like Pearson. With the ability to top 100 mph and secondary pitches that can be used effectively -- not just to take the hitter’s eye off the heater -- Pearson has an extremely high ceiling. He’s expected to be a major piece of Toronto’s rotation in 2021.

In Martin and Groshans, the Blue Jays have another dynamic infield duo coming on the heels of Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette. Martin, the No. 5 overall pick in the 2020 MLB Draft who was expected to go even higher, hasn’t played a game of pro ball yet, but the 21-year-old has the all-around tools to excel at multiple positions and is loaded with offensive upside. Groshans, also 21, was the No. 12 overall pick in '18. He has primarily played shortstop in his limited Minor League action but could profile at third base in the future, and there’s significant power potential in his 6-foot-3 frame.

It’s important to view these two together because of how they fit into the Blue Jays’ timeline, too. The club recently agreed to terms with Marcus Semien on a reported one-year deal, and regardless of whether the Blue Jays add another position player, the infield seems set for the short term. That Semien deal could bridge the gap perfectly, if either Martin or Groshans is ready to debut by 2022. With Guerrero likely at first base long term, Bichette at shortstop and Cavan Biggio capable of playing all over the diamond, Groshans and Martin have the potential to round out that group.

That timeline will be much clearer by midsummer, when these prospects will be back in action in the Minors after the lost 2020 season, but the talent is certainly there. The young core of the ballclub is its strength, and that group could soon grow even larger.

Woods Richardson is just 20 years old, but you wouldn’t guess it. Mature beyond his years with a repertoire to match, the big right-hander came over from the Mets along with Anthony Kay in the deal for Marcus Stroman in 2019.

At the time, the right-hander was not ranked as a Top 100 prospect, but the same message kept coming from both inside and outside the Blue Jays' organization: “Keep an eye on Woods Richardson.”

The Blue Jays invited him to take part in Summer Camp last year at age 19, which was telling. Woods Richardson has an above-average fastball, good breaking pitches and an advanced feel for a changeup, all of which he mixes in while working very quickly on the mound. A start in Double-A this season could make sense, but he has the potential to move quickly to the Majors.

Toronto’s prospect depth stretches beyond this group, of course, with their deepest areas being right-handed starting pitchers and catchers, both of which are at a premium across baseball. The organization has long spoken of its desire to build a winner that is “sustainable,” and building the current roster with such a strong prospect base still in place is a fine start.